The 13 Best Winter Cocktails to Get You Through the Cold

You can sip a martini any time, but there's something particularly pleasurable about a cocktail designed for the colder months. "Everyone's looking to drink seasonally," says bartender Tristan Willey of Brooklyn's Long Island Bar. "But if you don't know what to do at home, you can just rotate one or two things to make it appropriate for the time of year." That means updating old cocktail recipes with new types of liquor, or adding deep flavors like allspice and red wine. We teamed up with Willey to create 13 cocktails with a winter-friendly twist. Here's how to make them all.

1 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Toby's Toddy

"Using a split base of cognac and rum adds a depth of flavor and makes it a little more delicate. You still get that warm, sippable cocktail, but it doesn't beat you over the head."

Ingredients:

• 1 oz cognac

• 1 oz aged rum

• 1 oz lemon juice

• 1 oz simple syrup

• 5 dashes bitters

Directions:

Add ingredients to 3 ounces of boiling water in a mug. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a lemon wheel studded with cloves.

2 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

New York Sour

"It's a traditional whiskey sour, but to make it a New York sour, you float red wine—Côtes du Rhône or Beaujolais, something with a backbone to it—on top. The rich aromatics push it into winter."

Ingredients:

• 2 oz bourbon

• .75 oz lemon juice

• .75 oz simple syrup

• Red wine float

Directions:

Shake the bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass over ice. Top with a red wine float.

3 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Winter Margarita

"It's just like a traditional margarita, but with an egg white. And we split the base between reposado tequila and mezcal. It gives you those summer flavors, but with the thickness of the body and the smoke of the mezcal."

Ingredients:

• 1 oz reposado (slightly aged) tequila

• 1 oz mezcal (like Del Maguey Vida)

• 1 oz lime juice

• .75 oz simple syrup

• 1 egg white

Directions:

Shake ingredients without ice, then shake again with ice. Strain into a coupe glass and serve up with a salted rim.

4 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Champagne Cocktail

"It's really beautiful, and perfect for an elegant party. It elevates the pomp and circumstance of your traditional glass of Champagne."

Ingredients:

• 4 oz sparkling wine

• 1 sugar cube

• Angostura bitters

Directions:

Soak the sugar cube in Angostura bitters and drop into a champagne flute. Fill with sparkling wine (a dry prosecco will also do). Garnish with a lemon twist.

5 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Cognac French 75

"Winter isn't about eliminating refreshing drinks, but there are things that can make them more seasonally appropriate. By swapping the gin for the richer, silkier flavors of the cognac, it turns it into a more wintery version of itself."

Ingredients:

• 1 oz cognac

• .5 oz lemon juice

• .5 oz simple syrup

• Splash of sparkling wine

Directions:

Shake the cognac, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice. Strain into a Champagne flute, and top with Prosecco or another dry sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon twist.

6 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Good Tidings

"With the cranberry and allspice you get those more traditional winter flavors and scents, but it drinks like a tall, easy Collins."

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz vodka

• 1 oz cointreau

• 1 oz lemon juice

• 1 oz cranberry juice

• 1 bar spoon of allspice dram

Directions:

Shake ingredients with ice. Strain into a Collins glass over ice and top with soda. Garnish with a lemon wheel studded with cloves.

7 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Aged Rum Daiquiri

"You take the typical white rum out of a daiquiri and replace it with an aged rum that has those caramel notes. It's still balanced, it's light and effervescent, but it has that rich spiciness to it."

Ingredients:

• 2 oz aged rum (like Diplomatico Venezuelan)

• 1 oz fresh lime juice

• .75 oz simple syrup

Directions:

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Serve up with no garnish.

8 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Penicillin

"It's a classic, with a blended scotch paired with ginger, honey, lemon, and that smoky Laphroaig misted over the top. It fits so perfectly with the season."

Ingredients:

• 2 oz blended scotch

• 1 oz lemon juice

• .5 oz honey syrup

• .5 oz ginger syrup

• .25 oz Laphroig scotch

Directions:

Shake the blended scotch, lemon juice, and syrups with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass with a single large ice cube. Pour Laphroig over the back of a bar spoon so that it floats atop the drink, and finish with a lemon wheel.

9 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Aquavit Manhattan

"It excels at what the Scandinavians do, which is cope with a cold, long, dark winter. The aquavit is a little herbaceous, which gives it a great caraway and rye background."

Ingredients:

• 2 oz aquavit (like Linie)

• .75 oz sweet vermouth

• .25 oz cherry spirit (like Leroux Kirschwasser)

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Directions:

Stir ingredients with ice, then strain over ice into a double old fashioned glass. Garnish with an orange twist or cherries.

10 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Martinez

"Using a sweet vermouth instead of dry, and adding a little bit of maraschino, makes the whole thing so cozy. It's the kind of martini you'd pull up next to a fire and drink."

Ingredients:

• 2 oz gin

• .75 oz sweet vermouth

• 1 bar spoon of maraschino

• 1 dash orange bitters

Directions:

Stir ingredients with ice, then strain into a coupe glass. Serve up and garnish with an orange twist.

11 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Boulevardier

"It's a negroni, but with rye whiskey instead of gin. It's a natural evolution, bringing a dark spirit into a classic drink that we love. It's great for fall and winter, but I drink it year-round."

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz rye whiskey

• .75 oz Campari

• .75 oz sweet vermouth

Directions:

Stir ingredients with ice, then strain into a coupe glass. Serve up and garnish with an orange twist.

12 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Applejack Sazerac

"It uses so many wintery things, like the Applejack and maple syrup. You could not make a more fireside-appropriate cocktail."

Ingredients:

• 2 oz apple brandy (like Applejack)

• .25 oz maple syrup

• 3 dashes Peychaud's bitters

Directions:

Stir ingredients with ice, then strain into an old fashioned glass. Serve up and garnish with a lemon twist.

13 of 13

Elizabeth Griffin

Rum Old Fashioned

"The rum and its molasses flavors, plus the allspice and Angostura bitters, make for this lovely, rich, slightly thicker old fashioned variation. It's perfect to have late at night."

Ingredients:

• 2 oz rum (like Eldorado 12-Year)

• 1 bar spoon of demerara syrup

• 3 dashes Angostura bitters

Directions:

Build ingredients into a double old fashioned glass with ice. Finish with lemon and orange twist.

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